Ex-judge Admits Election Misdemeanor

March 23, 1985|By Fred Lowery, Staff Writer

Former Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Paul Douglas Friday pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of interfering with an election, ending an election- related wrangle which began last summer and peaked with his indictment in January.

By entering the negotiated plea on a reduced charge, Douglas avoided what his attorney called ``a very nasty trial`` for extortion, the charge leveled against him by a grand jury.

After receiving the plea, Circuit Judge James Lefensky of Tampa ordered Douglas to do 200 hours of public service in the legal field during the next 18 months and pay $750 in court costs.

If he abides by that order, a finding of guilt will not be entered on Douglas` record, Lefensky said.

The misdemeanor charge of interfering with an election stemmed from efforts by Douglas to force then-County Judge James Carlisle to switch to another court race.

Subsequently, Carlisle defeated Douglas, who had spent 24 years on the bench.

The indictment for extortion, which was dropped Friday by special prosecutor Ed Austin of Jacksonville as part of the plea agreement, centered around allegations that Douglas threatened to discredit attorney Robert Montgomery and members of his law firm unless the firm withdrew its active support of Carlisle.

Montgomery said Friday that he was satisfied with the plea arrangement. ``I feel that justice has been done,`` he said. ``This was a tragic event that should have never happened.``

As he entered the plea, however, Douglas specified it was not being done because he was guilty, but because ``it is in my best interest.``

Defense attorney Robert Foley explained later this meant that Douglas did not admit the facts of the allegations against him, but felt the guilty plea was better for him in the long run.

While Douglas refused comment after the brief hearing, Foley said his client`s main desire ``is to put his life together and continue his practice of law.``

Without the possibility of a felony conviction, Foley said, Douglas will retain his pension and remain in good standing with the Bar.

Austin emphasized that the charges should not be interpreted as a sign of corruption since they did not stem from a judicial act by Douglas in the handling of a case.

Rather, they occurred ``in the heat of a political campaign,`` Austin said. ``This should serve as a deterrent to others who speak too strongly in their official position.``

Because of Douglas` background and record of service on the bench, Austin said the decision to accept a plea to a reduced charge was not a difficult one.

``A felony conviction would simply have been a case of overkill,`` he said. ``This was an unusual case. Usually, when a campaign is over, everybody forgets and it goes away. This one went deeper than that.``

Reflecting on the case, Montgomery said it ``speaks loudly for an appointive system of selecting judges, with merit retention, the way it is done on the appeals court.``

Having judges on the county and circuit court levels facing election, he said, opens up too much possibility for potential abuse of the process.